Lifelong Learning

Riding the Waves of Transition

Transitions can be hard, especially those that aren’t expected. But even for the ones we long for, there are still lessons to learn, emotions to sort out and most of all, places where we can meet with the Lord.   I had always wanted to be married. In my mid 20s,

An Empty Place

With our belongings loaded onto a ship for the journey back to the U.S., I find myself sitting among the dust bunnies on the floor of our vacant Tokyo home, pondering the significance of the past 24 beautiful and complicated years.  The farewells are over, our missionary roles are finished,

Transitions and Thresholds

As soon as you hear the word transition or change, I’m sure a range of images, experiences, life stages, and emotions occur. As they signal the end of one thing and the beginning of something else, transitions also include a threshold: the “space between” that incorporates the ending of the

When Differences Pull Us Apart

 I can’t help but notice that a spirit of argument and polarization seems to have taken over our world. Maybe it feels collectively harder to handle conflict because we’re tired out from the pandemic and wary of political drama, but differences of opinion have existed since the beginning of humankind.

Cheating is Wrong… Isn’t It?

SEEK TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE BEING UNDERSTOOD  The first thing most missionaries learn is the mantra, “Different isn’t wrong, it’s just different.”  In situations where we don’t understand others’ actions, it can be helpful to look at the ways Jesus related to people and the types of questions He asked them—He

Don’t Question the Expert

For as far back as I can recall, being right has been important to me. You might say it has formed a significant part of my identity. I can remember being 10 or 11 and showing a friend how to pop popcorn (in those long-ago days before air poppers and

Position Mixtapes

How do we know what we know? How do we determine our position, or what we believe, on various issues? We all combine different sources of knowledge in different ways, resulting in a highly personalized position mixtape. The four sources of knowledge are Scripture, personal experience, reason, and tradition. How

Gentle and Right

“Why do you want to do this now?” my business partner asked. “it’s not the right time.” I sulked for a moment, then retaliated. “I’ve been doing most of the work all on my own for the past month. What does it matter to you when we decide to do

Presence: Face to Face

I survived two years as an EDGEr, an overseas mission trip to Norway, and most of my dating relationship with my now-wife, Heather—all without a cell phone. Shocking, right? What does it mean for us to be really present with each other?

Hospitality Stories

iEDGE specialist Alyssa Spencer interviewed Adam and Renee Sperling, Carol and Steve Rugg, and Daniel Medina to get the scoop on classic Navigator hospitality.